In this monthly Latin American video spotlight feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence provides a roundup of news related to over-the-top, video-on-demand and other video initiatives in different Latin American markets.
TOP NEWS
* 21st Century Fox Inc.'s Fox Sports snagged a multiyear broadcast deal with premier kickboxing league Glory, allowing it to air all Glory events beginning February 2018 until 2019, NexTV News Latin America reported March 2. The deal covers central and south America, and will enhance the offering of the Fox Fight Club franchise.
* Mexico's Grupo Televisa SAB will make several original Spanish-language content for Amazon, following a multiseries deal, Telecompaper reported Feb. 23. Televisa and its new unit Televisa Alternative Originals will make "premium programming with an emphasis on multicultural characters." Amazon Prime Video will have global SVOD rights to the original series.
OTHER NEWS
* Colombia's free over-the-top service RTVCPlay is launching new original content in the second half of 2018, NexTV News Latin America reported March 5. The offering will include a fiction series, a web series, two musical documentaries and a docureality show. The service is primarily targeting audiences ages 22 to 35, according to the report.
* Amazon.com Inc. is adding several Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. titles to its Amazon Prime Video service in Latin America, following a multiyear deal with the Hollywood studio, NexTV News Latin America reported March 1. The package includes "John Wick: Chapter 2," "Saban's Power Rangers," "The Shack," "Jigsaw," "Wonder," "The Spy who Dumped Me" and "Robin Hood." The films will be available in HD and for offline viewing.
* Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Television Latin America launched its Crackle video-on-demand platform on Microsoft Corp. Xbox One consoles in Latin America, NexTV News Latin America reported Feb. 28. The Crackle app features a parental control function, as well as watch later and always on, among others. Users must be subscribed to the service via a pay TV operator.
* Flow's Flow Sports secured a multiyear deal to broadcast multiple confederation championships of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, NexTV News Latin America reported Feb. 28. Flow will air the matches in the Caribbean, and will include upcoming editions of the Concacaf Champions League, the Concacaf League and the Flow Caribbean Club Championship. Liberty Global plc's Cable & Wireless owns Flow.
* Argentina telco Iplan plans to launch an IPTV service in 2019, in partnership with third parties, NexTV News Latin America reported Feb. 21. The company is currently expanding its fiber optic network, focusing on Buenos Aires, Recoleta, Palermo and Belgrano.
* OTT solution Nuplin has launched in Latin America, aiming to help small and medium-sized pay TV operators to launch and expand their VOD business, NexTV News Latin America reported Feb. 19. Nuplin is offering subscribers of pay TV services access to content of the largest programmers, at up to five profiles per account.
* Telefónica SA has launched its Movistar Series channel in Chile, Colombia and Peru, and is set to roll out in other Latin American countries in the coming months. The new channel will offer 12 original series throughout 2018, as well as Spanish contents from third parties.
